In the mid 14th century, when Firoz Shah Tughlaq ascended the throne of Delhi, he (like many of his predecessors and successors) decided to leave his mark by building his own city, Firozabad, with its accompanying citadel. Little remains of Firozabad the city. This is largely because two subsequent...Read more

Known simply as Purana Qila or Qila-e-Kohna (both meaning `old fort’), this fortress was built in the 1530’s. The site however does have a history that makes it truly old, and also historically and culturally of great significance. It is believed to be the site of one of the oldest settlements in...Read more

The Red Fort is the modern name for the Qila e Moalla (the ‘Exalted Fort’) built as a focal point of the new capital city of Shahjahanabad, established by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in the mid-17th century. The fort was designed by the architect Ustad Ahmed; construction began in 1639 and ended...Read more

The imperial city of Shahjahanabad was established in the mid-seventeenth centruy by the emperor Shahjahan as his capital. Over the last more than three and a half centuries it has seen many changes - new buildings have of course replaced many of the older ones, but also new roads have been built,...Read more

According to traditional belief, the tomb of a saint confers sanctity on the surrounding areas, and therefore many have opted to be buried in the vicinity of a saint’s tomb. The shrines or dargahs of men like Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (in Mehrauli) and Nasiruddin Mahmud `Roshan Chiragh-e-Dehli’ (in...Read more

The name Firoz Shah Kotla to most people today suggests an extremely popular cricket stadium of the city. In fact the stadium overlooks a 14th century citadel, from which it gets its name, Firoz Shah Kotla. Among its ruins stand a pillar from the 3rd century B.C., and a functioning mosque. A little...Read more

Sandwiched between two of modern Delhi’s most prominent landmarks – Pragati Maidan and the National Zoological Park – the Purana Qila (‘old fort’) is appropriately named. It is old, of course; the citadel here dates back to the 1530’s – but there are many older monuments in Delhi. What makes Purana...Read more

For many today Shahjahanabad is synonymous with old Delhi, the heart of the city, a fascinating melange of the different eras of Delhi’s history, but with a throbbing life in the present. It is a lively commercial hub, and this is where the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is still centred. Shahjahan...Read more

Chandni Chowk is the central street of the imperial city of Shahjahanabad, founded in the mid-seventeenth century. The street runs from opposite the western entrance to the Red Fort, right down the breadth of the original walled city to Fatehpuri mosque. Read more